The Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL) is making plans for its new field at the Tiger Stadium site, which will celebrate its grand opening this month.
PAL has been working for the last several years on this project at the Tiger Stadium site. The development includes a new turf grass field that will be used for sporting events, along with a PAL headquarters. Later this month, PAL will host its grand opening at the site, as it has announced a weekend-long series of events that will run from March 23-25. More from The Detroit News:
PAL is hosting opening ceremonies Friday, March 23, through Sunday, March 25, celebrating the completion of the two-year, $21-million revitalization project.
On March 24, the day of the public grand opening for the Corner Ballpark and Willie Horton Field of Dreams, Detroit King will play West Bloomfield at 1 p.m., following by Detroit Western-Saline at 3:30. That day will kick off with a parade of PAL children at 9 a.m., followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony starting at 10 a.m., which will feature several speakers, including mayor Mike Duggan, former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and Detroit Police chief James Craig. Before the baseball games, dignitaries and kids will throw out ceremonial first pitches.
A ticket-required ceremony for donors is scheduled for the evening of Friday, March 23, and is sold out.
On Sunday, March 25, the Corner Ballpark is hosting “Corktown Day,“ showcasing food from several neighborhood restaurants. The field is will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.
Tiger Stadium originally opened as Navin Field in 1912, and was home to the Detroit Tigers through the 1999 season. It stood for many years after the Tigers’ departure–even playing the role of Yankee Stadium in the production of 61*–before being demolished completely in 2009.
Through this project, PAL is planning several homages to Tiger Stadium. The field will have outfield dimensions that are identical to Tiger Stadium, and will incorporate the ballpark’s original flag pole.
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